Donnis Thompson
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Donnis Hazel Thompson (April 1, 1933 – February 2, 2009) was an American professor of health, physical education, and recreation at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, and was the university's first women's athletic director. At the University of Hawaii, she started the
Rainbow Wahine The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wāhine are the athletic teams that represent the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH), in Honolulu, Hawaii. The UH athletics program is a member of the Big West Conference in most sports and competes at ...
program. In 1981, Thompson was elected the State of Hawaii Department of Education school superintendent.


Early life

Thompson was born on April 1, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Carter Elementary School and St. Elizabeth High School where she participated in swimming, track and field, and
cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...
. After high school, Thompson enrolled at
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from which she graduated in 1955.


Career

In 1961, Thompson started the
Rainbow Wahine The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wāhine are the athletic teams that represent the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH), in Honolulu, Hawaii. The UH athletics program is a member of the Big West Conference in most sports and competes at ...
sports program by forming a track and field team. However, she struggled with the unequal treatment female athletes were subjected to prior to the passing of
Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
. In the team's inaugural season, Thompson's teaching salary equalled $5,000, with an added $700 for coaching. In 1962, Thompson was elected as coach to United States National Track Team, which competed against Russia. As a professor of health, physical education, and recreation, she taught a course entitled "Physical Fitness for Women", where she introduced weight training, using bottles of bleach instead of weights to keep it non-threatening. However, when Thompson left the University of Hawaii to pursue her PhD at
Northern Colorado University The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially changed ...
, the track team was unable to be supported and eventually disbanded. Upon returning to the University of Hawaii, Thompson worked alongside Congresswoman
Patsy Mink Patsy Matsu Mink (née Takemoto; December 6, 1927 – September 28, 2002) was an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii. Mink was a third-generation Japanese American, having been born and raised on the island of Maui. ...
to write the legislation for Title IX to end discrimination on the basis of gender. Soon after the passing of Title IX in 1972, she was appointed the university's first women's athletic director, on a budget of $5,000. A few years later, in 1975, Thompson requested a budget increase to $231,000, but received only $131,000. With this amount, she hired Dave Shoji in 1975 to become a part-time women's volleyball coach on a salary of $2,000 per season. The following year, Thompson began charging for admission to women's volleyball events, which was a revolutionary idea for the time. On April 5, 1981, the State of Hawaii dedicated that day as "Dr. Donnis Thompson Day" to honor the impact of her contributions to women’s athletics. As a result of her success, Thompson was named the State of Hawaii Department of Education school superintendent, before being terminated in 1984 for a lack of long range planning and policy. Prior to leaving the University of Hawaii, Thompson helped add five more women's sports and achieve a National Volleyball Championship title. She returned to teach at the University of Hawaii after her termination from 1984 until 1991. On October 28, 2007, artist Jan-Michelle Sawyer unveiled a statue honoring Thompson in the